1919 – 2005
Amrita Pritam
Amrita Pritam is a prominent writer of India who earned her name through poetry and fiction writing. She was born in Mandi Bahaudin, present day Pakistan in 1919. Her Punjabi writings earned her India’s highest literary award, Sahtiya Akademi Award in 1956. In all, she wrote about 100 books in various literary genres. In her Punjabi works, she is known best for her works on partition and its trauma. A punjabi poem “Ajj Aakhan Waris Shah nu” and a Punjabi short story “Pinjra” are her claim to fame.